New Jersey’s governor and attorney general have announced the recipients of $5.2 million in hospital-based violence-intervention grants funded with revenue from state-legal marijuana.
Two politicians announced Friday that the New Jersey Hospital Based Violence Intervention Program (NJHVIP), which is funded by the New Jersey Hospital Violence Intervention Fund, will be given to 11 recipients across 10 counties.
“Meeting victims of violence in their current location is crucial to their recovery,” said Gov. Phil Murphy (D), in a press release. The New Jersey Hospital Based Violence Intervention Program provides a vital resource for addressing both the mental as well as physical ramifications that violence has on our communities. It is the light at the end when we need it most.
The state’s Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Fund is funding the program, which was launched with federal funds in 2020. The fund was created by the state’s Marijuana Legalization Law and consists of money from taxes, fees, civil penalties, and industry fees.
The federal and state governments have spent nearly 45 million dollars on hospital-based programs.
The benefits of our innovative hospital-based interventions have been proven. @GovMurphy has enabled us to grant another $5.2M in grants to 11 hospital/community partnership across NJ. https://t.co/NJt17iZaBQ pic.twitter.com/E0WQtO2qUs
— Attorney General Matt Platkin December 15, 2020
According to a press statement from the office of the attorney general, NJHVIP’s operations involve connecting victims to “a multidisciplinary team trauma-informed and survivor-centered services providers to facilitate recovery, reduce the long-term impacts of victimization, while reducing the probability of retaliation”.
These teams consist of medical and community workers such as social workers, case manager, violence interventionists and community health workers who coordinate the provision of comprehensive services to victims and their family members. Victims can leave their hospitals with services already in place, including crisis intervention, conflict resolution, peer support, applying for VIVA’s Victim of Crime Compensation Office, and connecting to mental health and drug use interventions.
In the press release, Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin stated that “our innovative hospital-based interventions programming has demonstrated the benefits of stopping cycles of violence at hospital bedside.”
The 11 cannabis-funded awards that were announced in November are primarily:
- AtlantiCare Medical Center, Atlantic County
- Center for Family Services, Camden County
- Inspira Health Network Cumberland County
- Foundation for University Hospital in Essex County
- Newark Community Street Team in Essex County
- Jersey City Medical Center in Hudson County
- Capital Health System in Mercer County
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Middlesex County
- HMH Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Monmouth County
- St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Passaic County
- Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Union County
The announcement came less than a month after Platkin & Murphy announced the recipients of a grant funding round of $15 million for a separate cannabis-funded violence prevention initiative known as the Community-Based Violence Intervention program (CBVI).
A third of that money — $5 million — came from the cannabis state fund.
The state has now committed $40 million to the CBVI program since 2021, including this $15 million.
According to state guidelines, a minimum amount of $5 million must be provided by the cannabis fund. A portion of this money comes from the Cannabis Impact Zone Funds of the state, which are aimed at reducing the adverse effects of the drug-war.
Applicants operating in the so-called Impact Zones, which are defined by factors such as high criminal conviction rates for marijuana, disproportionate police activity, and high unemployment rates, may be eligible for these funds.
New Jersey is one of several states that have legalized cannabis and allocate at least a portion of the revenue to community reinvestment.
Missouri announced recently that nearly $17 Million in marijuana revenue will be used to support veterans’ health, drug treatment, and legal aid.
California announced in August that it would be accepting applications for $48 Million in marijuana tax-funded grants. These grants support job placements, legal assistance and treatment for mental health and addiction disorders. They also refer to medical care. This program, which offers grants up to $3,000,000, is funded solely by state cannabis revenues.
The Department of Cannabis Control in California had announced months earlier that it would award $4.1 Million to 18 local governments as part of a groundbreaking program designed to support cannabis licensing programs and reduce the illicit market.
DCC also awarded nearly $20,000,000 in research grants to 16 academic institutions, which were funded by marijuana taxes, for the purpose of carrying out cannabis studies, including novel cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC, and genetics of many “legacy strains” throughout the state. In February, California officials awarded $15 million to local efforts to promote equity within the marijuana industry.
Illinois distributed $45 million last year in grants under its Restore, Reinvest, Renew (R3) Program, which was created under the state’s Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization Law. The funds were distributed to 148 organizations with relatively low budgets that operate in socioeconomically challenged communities.
Arizona has set aside 10 percent from the marijuana tax revenue to create a Justice Redevelopment Fund. This fund provides funding for public health services, counseling and job training, as well as other social services in communities affected negatively by marijuana arrests. The first round of applications for grants from the program was released in March.
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